Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-13

SOME NOTED MEDIUMS.
The seybcrt spiritual Comms.sion Say
They Are Only Jugxirrs.
EXPERIMENTS By LRARNKD MEN-HESRY sLADE, or
NEW YORK, FAILS 10 CONVINCE THE COMMISSION
THAT HR Is CONTROLLED By sPRIT-BUT HE HAS
QUICK HAND AND TOE.
A New York World special from Philadelphia,
June IL, says: The long delayed report OF the
Seybert Spiritual Commission, the appearance OF
which has, for more than three years been
anxiously awaited In the spirtualistic and scien-
t1fic world, has at last been completed. BY its
declaration spiritualism has received the severest
blow aimed at 1t since the day or it's inception
Henry Seyber was wealthy citizen OF Philadel-
phla who, late In life, became a strong believer In
the genuineness OF the phenomena revealed by
professional mediums. He was man OF learn
Ing, OF culture and OF progressive ideas The
reading OF his will, after his DEATH disclosed the
fact that he had made a bequest OF $4,000 for the
maintenance OF a chair in the University OF Penn
syIvanla, the sole condition imposed being that a
commission should he appointed TO make a
thorough but impartial Investigation Of the phe-
nomena OF spir1tualism.
over three years ago body OF distinguished
scientists was selected TO undertake this Import
ant mission. Horace Howard Furness the famous
Shakespearian scholar, who is also trustee OF the
university, was made acting chairman, and DIR.
VIM. Pepper, provost OF the university and profess
scr OF the practice OF medicine, became chairman
by virtue or his Office. The other members OF the
commission were: Jos. Leidy, the eminent anat-
omist and naturalist Geo. A. koenig, professor OF
chemistry In the university; Geo. s. Fullerton,
professor or intellectual and moral philosophy;
Robert Ellis Thompson, professor OF history and
English literature; Coleman Sellers, a well-known
civil engineer; JAS. W. White, editor OF Dental
Cosmos, the leading dental journal OF he country,
and now director OF puolic charities and cor
rection; DR.: Calvin b. knerr, and DIR. S. Weir
MiIcnelL Inc commission has secretly tested
numerous mediums from all parts OF the country.
The workings OF the commission and its verdict
have been guarded with jealous care.
verdict pf rhs In ase
ave deemed ourselves fortunate at the outset In
having as counsellor the late Mr. Thomas X.
Hazard, personal friend OF Mr.. eybert, and
widely known throughout the land as al uncom-
promising Spiritualist. BY the advice OF Mr.. HaZ-
ard we addressed ourselves first to the investiga-
uon or independent Slate-wrltng, and through his
aid seance for this purpose was arranged with q
noted medium, Mrs. s. E. Patterson. This mode OF
manifesting spiritualist1c power as FAR as IL has
come under our observation, is, concisely stated
the writing on the concealed surface OF d slate
which is In contact with "A medium. In the pres
ent instance between two states fastened together
by hinge on one side and screw on the other.
there was placed small fragment Of slate pencil
when this fragment is bitten on 10y the medium IL
receives, SO MI. Hazard assured Us, additional
spiritualistic power. AS soon as spirit has I'm
1Shed writing its communication with the pencil
on the inner surface OF the states, the completion
OF the task is made known by the appearance OF
the slate pencil on the outside upon the states.
The states are always held in conceament under
the table, and never has this remarkable passage
OF the pencil through the solid substance of the
slate been witnessed by any one not even by the
medium herself, In all the years during which this
wonderful phenomenon has been matter or daily
almost hourly, experience.
"Our first seance was held In the evening at the
mediums own home. The states were screwed to
gether with the bit OF slate pencil enclosed and
held by the medium between her open PLAN, In her
lap, under the table. After waiting an hour and a
half without the least response On the states from
the spirits the attempt was abandoned for that
evening, much TO the disappointment. not only OF
us all, put TO the chagrfn OF Mr. Hazard who could
not understand what the deuce was I'm IL, seeing
that the medium was one or the very best In the
world, and on the preceding evening, when he was
all alone with her, the messages from the spirit OF
Henry Seybert came thick and FAST No better
success attended our second seance with this me-
dtum, although we waited patiently an hour and
twenty minutes, while the states were In the me-
"By the advice of the medium, In order to eltmi-
nate any possible antagoniSm, we divided our
numbers, and only one or TWO OF US at a time sat
the States AFTER the States had been held BY both
hands OF the medium for q long time in conceal
ment under the table, but TO neither OF the TWO
sftters did the screw appear TO be by any means
tightly fastened after the writing as before; nor
did the writing OF two or three flieble words
beyond the resources OF very humble legerdemain:
In TACT no legerdemain was needed after a surrep-
titiOuS lOOSenlng OF the screw, which, considering
the state OF the frame OF the slate could have been
readily eUecC6Q
ave were therefore obliged TO send for one to
New York. With this medium, DR.. Henry Slade,
we had number OF sittings and, however wonder
full may have been the manifestations OF his
medlumShip In the past or elsewhere, we were
forced TO the conclusion that the character of
those which passed under our observation was
fraudulent throughout. There was no need of any
elaborate method OF investigations; close observ-
ance was all that was required DIR. Slade prefers
to have only two SttterS At time, one on his
right and one opposite. The fourth side OF the
table he prefers 10 have unOccupied; his manipu-
readily observed; moreover, strange spiritual
antics may be there manifested, such as upsetting
chairs which happen TO be there, making states
appear above the edge OF the table, &c. These
manifestations are executed by the mediums foot
which, on one occasion was distinctly seen before
our number, who stopped very quickly TO pick up
a slate which had acctdently fallen to the floor
while the spirits were trying to put 1t into the lap
OF one OF the sitterS.
"a well-known medium In New York, Mrs
Thayer, to whom the acting chairman was I'm.
a seance, vehemently asserted that no member OF
the Seybert Commission should ever have q
Seance with her, that the whole commission, one
and all, where old scoundrels and should never
darken her DOORS &C, &C., and confessed that the
foundation OF her belief was the warning sent to
her by an eminent medium whose seances the COM
mission had attended)that she should have nothing
TO do with the Sey bert men; that they would do
her no good Even In Instances where mediums
have expressed their willingness to appear before
compensation which we could not out deem extor-
tOnate and, practically, prohioitory; in OF
Mr.. Keller, the spiritual photographer and in that
OF Dr. Henry Rogers, whose terms were $500 IL he
should be successful before us, and that half OF
that sum IL he tailed"